Brett Booth – Titans Rebirth

The American comic-book artist Brett Booth is the co-creator of Backlash with Jim Lee (1993), a character whose series he has drawn between 1994 and 1997. If he’s best known for his work for DC Comics these last few years, he also drew for Marvel Comics series like Fantastic Four (1996-1997) and X-Men Unlimited (1999-2000). Between 2006 and 2012, Brett Both has drawn many issues of the Anita Blake comic-book adaptation. Finally, he’s been active for DC on New 52 series such as Teen Titans (2012-2014), Nightwing (2013) and The Flash (2014-2016). Brett Booth is married to another comic-book artist, the colorist Jessica Ruffner.

Titans Rebirth opens on Wally West’s memory about his friends, the Teen Titans. It all came back by looking at an old photograph, a photo he took years ago and on which he’s not anymore. Instead, there is a blank space where he should have been – where he was. He’s found this in a photo album, in an old apartment – the Teen Titans’ apartment back when Wally was still alive. Despite his all new costume, shiny and all, despite his well-designed muscles by Brett Booth, Wally looks sad, deep in melancholic thoughts. Brett Booth seems to get inspired by Rodin‘s Thinker (1882) for Wally’s posture : they both share the titled head, the closed face and the left arm on the leg. Every single fiber of Wally’s being is closed from the present, dived into the past, dived into the memories. Surrounded by all the Titans’ memorabilia, he can’t stay strong anymore. After the love of his life (see Ivan Reis – DC Universe Rebirth) and his mentor Barry Allen (see Phil Jimenez – DC Universe Rebirth), Wally once again faces up to his erasing from the history. He’s had the courage to come all the way up here, but he can’t take it anymore. It wouldn’t startle me if on the next page Wally may shed a tear.

Wally doesn’t have the time to think further because Nightwing attacks him and without any indications, his costume tases his assailant. But this sparkle has caused another little sparkle, in Nightwing’s head this time. Look at his face on the second and third panels : it goes from anger to surprise, from pain to incomprehension. How could he know this man’s name, while it’s the first time he ever sees him ? This reminds me of Barry’s expression (see Phil Jimenez – DC Universe Rebirth) when he realizes who’s saying goodbye to him. At first, he’s skeptical, he doesn’t understand what’s happening and why this unknown man has appeared in front of him, but then he figures out who he is, what they’ve shared over the years and what he represents to him. That’s the same for Nightwing ! His relationship with Wally wasn’t the same Wally and Barry had, but it’s a strong one nonetheless. Wally’s face, illuminated of joy in the last panel, is priceless.

Nightwing’s and Flash’s faces are as happy as they were back when they were Robin and Kid Flash, back when they were ones of the Teen Titans, sneaking into the Batmobile. They both have grown since that day, but it has marked Dick Grayson so much that this was the first thing he’s remembered when Flash’s suit tased him. Just as the previous page, this one is full of emotions. Brett Booth shows, with great talent, how close Dick and Wally were back when they were heroes’ sidekicks. Wally’s joy on the first panel then his knowing glance on the second one, Robin’s anxiety on the second panel as well, show us how close they were, and what a great artist Brett Booth is. The faces he draws for his characters are very expressive, thus touching and moving. With Dan Abnett‘s help, Brett Booth offers us a wonderful page about friendship and complicity, but also about sorrow and absence.

Friendship is a wonderful thing. Once every Titan remembers about Wally, the photograph’s true nature is revealed and Wally reappears on it like he recalls it. He has nothing to do with the melancholic Flash in the beginning of this issue, now that the team is back. He knows for a fact that his friends won’t forget him once again, and his trust in them makes him stronger. It makes him believed that together they can find whoever responsible for his disappearance – for the 2011 reboot and the creation of the New 52 universe – and prevent him from doing it again. If I’m not very fond of the first panel, on which the standing heroes have way too long legs, I like the second one with the close-up on Wally. His determination, and the fact that he holds the photo like a symbol, makes me wants to read the next issue right away.

Brett Booth and Dan Abnett have offered us a fantastic issue about friendship, trust and team spirit. It really is a rebirth for the Titans as we know them back before 2011. Brett Booth‘s drawings are fantastic, especially when it comes to faces and medium close shot and close up. Furthermore, he’s used to draw the Teen Titans, Nightwing and The Flash, so I have no doubt about him drawing the future of the Titans.